The Shorebird Park offers more than a breathtaking view of lush greenery and a wide-open space. Located along the southern shoreline at the Berkeley Marina, the Shorebird Park is where you’ll discover the magnificent Shorebird Park Nature Center. Why spend a day at this nature center?
A Green Building for a Nature Center
For starters, the Shorebird Park Nature Center is the first municipal strawbale building—in the entire United States. So it is an historic structure that echoes its function, which is to inform and educate visitors about marine mammals and birds. A day at the Shorebird Park Nature Center in Berkeley, with your family, would create a wonderful opportunity to teach the kids about animals and ecology.
The green building, which reused fly ash in its cement mix, is not just made from eco-friendly materials. It is also built with features that reinforce energy conservation. The windows have solar control glass to improve insulation and limit heat gain. The ceilings are made from recycled materials. The lighting system uses sensor controls that deliver energy savings without sacrificing the level of lighting needed. And its modular construction method has paved the way for reduced costs while factory built materials decreased waste.
Viewings and Other Recreation
Inside the Shorebird Nature Park Center, you and the family can marvel at the 50-gallon bay aquarium, a 30-gallon fresh water tank, and marine mammal and bird displays. Take a walk into the visitor’s center and discover amazing things about marine conservation. You can even watch a video on how the building itself was made.
The Shorebird Nature Park Center also features a classroom that houses two 180-gallon tanks. One is filled with salt water and displays marine life that live in the San Francisco bay. The other is filled with fresh water and displays fresh water ecosystem.
But while the Nature Park Center will hold your attention for some time, you might want to add activities outside the building. An entire day dedicated to Shorebird Park should deliver some of the best memories for the family. The area, after all, comes with sufficient amenities to provide multiple options.
Start with the Marina Experience Program, which provides education and recreation through classes and workshops. Then let the kids explore the playground. Alternately, enjoy an exhilarating hike through Shorebird Park’s trails.
What comes after a hike? A good appetite, which you and the family can satisfy at the picnic areas.
Amazing underwater animals. A park featuring everything your family needs for a fun-filled day. Come and discover what you can do at the Shorebird Nature Park Center.
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*Photo courtesy City of Berkeley
